Great news for comic book fans and devotees of Comic Con, which started yesterday in New York City: after 50 years, the Amazing Spider-Man series is ending in December with Issue #700, but Marvel has announced that a new series, Superior Spider-Man, written by Dan Slott and Ryan Stegman, will debut in January 2013. See the cover art for issue #1 here.

“Things are going to get dark, things are going to get weird, and when things get that dark and weird, you need a superior Spider-Man,” Dan Slott, Amazing Spider-Man writer, said in a Marvel.com Q&A.

How different will the Superior Spider-Man world be? Slott said that Spidey will still face a Sinister Six (a group of six main adversaries). He said he “expects” Adrian Toomes (Vulture) to be one of the Six. For the most part, however, Slott remained mysterious about Spidey’s new universe in his Q&A with Marvel.com:

“This is still very much the world of Spider-Man. There may be a new Spider-Man here, doing things in a new and different way, but you’re going to see the Spider-cast reacting to this. You’re going to see how this Spider-Man will deal with our Spider-Man’s villains. Whoever makes it out of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #700 will find a different Spider-Man waiting for them when Superior Spider-Man starts.”

In an interview with USA Today, Slott could not even assure us that Peter Parker will still be the guy underneath the Spidey suit:

“You’ve got to ask yourself, what does ‘Superior Spider-Man’ mean? Does this mean a Spider-Man with a greater power set? Or maybe he’s moving to Michigan. Just set up shop next to Lake Superior,” the writer quips.

In more cool Spider-Man news, the Blu-ray and DVD of Marc Webb and Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) will be released Nov. 9, and a new “second screen” app will show viewers behind-the-scenes footage and cast interviews as they are watching the film, according to MTV. All of this news comes just in time for Spidey’s birthday on October 14, which will be celebrated at New York Comic Con.

I'm sick to death of darkness. Hate to sound negative but I hope Marvel takes a dump on this one. There is one Batman and we have it already. We like Spider Man to be Spider Man. We don't need another hero.